Spray can and snap-on cap assembly and manufacture thereof



Sept. 29, 1959 J. HENCHERT 2,906,430

SPRAY CAN AND SNAP-ON CAP ASSEMBLY AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF Filed Feb.'7, 1956 s She ets- Sheet 1 I INVENTOR gjinflencfie r2? Sept. 29, 1959.1. HENCHERT SPRAY CAN AND SNAP-ON CAP ASSEMBLY AND MANUFACTURE THEREOFFiled Feb. 7, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I iHl INVENTOR gfa/ 'njyenci er? 2ATTORNEYS BY W Sept. 29, 1959 J. HENCHERT SPRAY CAN AND SNAP-ON CAPASSEMBLY AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 7, 1956Maw; ATTNNEYS SPRAY CAN AND SNAP-ON CAP ASSEMBLY AND MANUFACTURE THEREOFJohn Henchert, River Forest, IlL, assignor to Continental Can Company,Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application February 7,1956, SerialNo. 564,030

3 Claims. (Cl. 220-60) Spray cans of the so-called aerosol type arecommonly provided with removable caps which protect the spray valvesfrom dust and the like, and the present invention relates to a can ofthis general type in which the lower end of a skirted cap may be easilysnapped into and from engagement with the can.

The upper end of the can is joined to the can body by a double seamhaving the usual upstanding chuck wall, and one object of the inventionis to provide this wall with circumferentially spaced inwardlyprojecting detents or mounds, and to provide a skirted cap the lower endof which may be easily snapped into and from engagement with saiddetents or mounds, thus providing for solidly holding the cap .on thecan yet permitting easy cap removal and re-application.

Another object of the invention is to form the detents States Patent Oor mounds in a novel manner while seaming the can body 7 and endtogether. v

A seaming chuck engages the can end and its chuck wall while first andsecond operation seaming rolls form the seam from body-carried andend-carried flanges. During the seam forming operation, restrictedportions ofthe chuck wall are deformed into peripheral recesses in thechuck lip to form the above mentioned detents or mounds, and a furtherobject is to so restrict the radial dimension of said mounds that theycannot lock the seamed can to the chuck and cannot, therefore, interferewith axial separation of the chuck and seamed can by means of thecustomary knock-out pad within the chuck.

A still further object is to provide a novel one-piece seaming chuckhaving the aforesaid recesses and useable in manufacturing spray canssuch as above mentioned, or cans of other types. In either instance, theportions of the chuck wall deformed into the chuck recesses preventrelative skidding of the chuck and can end, whether the chuck be used torotate the can as in some seamers, or to non-rotatably hold the cans asin others.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear,the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by referenceto the following detailed description, the appended claims and theseveral views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: 7

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a fragmentary side elevation,partly in section on line 11 of Figure 2, showing the improved can andsnap-on cover assembly.

Figure 2 is a plan view partlyin horizontal section, on line 2-2 ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the double seamand one of the detents or mounds.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the improved seaming chuck.

Figure 5 is a lower end view of the seaming chuck.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation showing the preferredform of one of the chuck recesses.

Figures 7 and 8 are detail sectional views on lines 7-7 and 88 of Figure6.

Figures 9, 10 and 11 are enlarged sectional views showing different:vsteps utilized in forming the double seam and the detents or mounds onthe chuck wall thereof.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 a can body 12 and an upper can end 13 are joinedby a double seam 14, said seam having the usual upstanding chuck wall15. The can end 13 is shown as having a domed portion 16 joined by achuck wall radius 17 to the chuck wall 15, said domed portion 16 havingan opening 18 with a beaded edge 19 for mounting a conventional sprayvalve.

The double seam 14 is conventional except that the chuck wall 15 isprovided with inwardly deformed portions constituting circumferentiallyspaced mounds 20, three being preferable. These mounds 20 are disposedtoward the upper end of the chuck wall 15 and they are shown aselongated circumferentially of the can, due to the construction of theseaming chuck hereinafter described.

A cap 21, preferably formed of sheet metal, is provided to protect thespray valve against dust and the like, said cap 21 having a dependingskirt 22. The lower end of this skirt is formed with a circumferentialrib 23 to be surrounded by the chuck wall 15, said rib being preferablyformed by curving the lower end of the skirt outwardly at 24 and theninwardly curling it at 25. It will be apparent by reference to Figure 1that just as the outward curving of the rib 23 extends outwardly beyondthe upright wall or skirt 22 of the cap 21, the inward curling at 25extends inwardly of said cap skirt. The rib as thus formed takes theform of an open or hollow resilient tube with the cap skirt or Wall 22extending upwardly therefrom intermediately of the radial cross sectionof the rib, as shown in Figure 1. It is to be noted also that thecircular cross section of the rib 23 conforms in shape to the wellrounded curve or radius 17 which joins the domed portion 16 with theannular chuck wall 15 so that the rib can bottom in the upwardly openingchannel defined by said dome portion 16, radius 17 and chuck wall 15, asshown in Figure 1.

When the cap 21 is in position upon the can, the rib 23 engages thechuck wall radius 17 and underlies the mounds 20 as seen in Figures 1and 2. The radial dimension of these mounds 20 is such that the rib 23will snap past said mounds when either applying or removing the cap 21.Thus, the cap will be securely held in place, yet may be easily removedand reapplied, as required. The mounds 20 preferably project about .010from the chuck wall 15.

In Figures 4 to 8, a one-piece seaming chuck 26 is shown for cooperationwith first and second operation seaming rolls in forming the double seam14 and providing the chuck wall 15 with the mounds 20. A portion of afirst operation seaming roll 27 is shown in Figures 9 and 10, and partof a second operation seaming roll 28 is illustrated in Figure 11.

The lip 20 of the seaming chuck 26 is slightly tapered, at about 4, asusual. The periphery of this lip 29 is formed with shallowcircumferentially spaced recesses 30 which are spaced upwardly from thelower end of said lip and preferably open through the upper end thereof,three of these recesses being shown. All of these recesses 30 are of thesame shape and a description of the preferred form of one will sufficefor all, particular reference being now made to Figures 6, 7 and 8.

. Each recess 30 is elongated circumferentially of the chuck lip 29 andthe inner wall 31 of said recess is concentric With the periphery ofsaid lip. The lower side wall 32 is at a right angle to the inner wall31, and one end of the recess has an abrupt end wall 33, the lower endof the latter being curved at 34 to said lower side wall 32. At theother end of the recess, the inner wall 31 curves outwardly at 35 to thechuck periphery. For a.

202 diameter can, the recess 30 is preferably .012" deep, .075" high and.2968" long.

The chuck 26 cooperates as seen in Figures 9 to 11 with the rolls 27 and.28 .to .seam .the can end -13 .to the can body 12 and form the mounds2D on the chuck wall 15. The body 12 is .provided with the .usual lipfflange .36 (Figure 9), and the can end 16 has the conventionalperipheral flange 37 projecting outwardly from the .chuck wall 15, saidflange 37 having the usual-downwardly and inwardly curled edge 38. Thecan end 13'is placed upon the body 12 with the flange 37 resting on theflange 36 and the chuck wall 15 fitting into said body 12, as seen 'inFigure 9. The chuck 26 .is then engaged with the can end 13 as seen alsoin Figure 9, the tapered .periphery-of the chuck lip 29 being in contactwith the correspondingly tapered chuck wall 15.

We will now assume that the chuck 26 drives the assembled can end andbody while the seaming rolls remain relatively stationary, although insome seamers the chuckholds the assembled can end and body againstrotation while the seaming rolls travel around the same.

As the assembled can end and body (Figure 9) are rotated, the firstoperation seaming rolls 27 move in as usual, with the result that theflanges 36, 37 and the curled flange edge 38 are initially spun togetheror clinched as seen in Figure 10. During this operation, some of theseam metal is not backed up by the chuck lip 29 due to the recesses 30.The result is that restricted portions of the chuck wall 15 are deformedinto the recesses 30 as seen at 39 in Figure 10.

When the first operation rolls 27 have completed their function, theywithdraw as usual and the second operation rolls 28 move in as seen inFigure 11 to complete the double seam 14. During this scam completingspinning operation, the deformations 39 of Figure become furtherdeformed into the recesses 30 to form the mounds 20 above described. Theextent to which these mounds project from the chuck wall is insufficientto interfere with separation of the chuck 26 and the seamed can byrelative axial movement effected by the usual Iknock-out pad within thechuck. As above stated, the preferred extent of projection is about .010and as the recesses 30 are only .012" deep they will prohibit theformation of mounds having a greater radial dimension than .012 evenwhen the seam metal fills the recesses to a greater extent than shown inFigure 11: and .012" projection of the mounds from the chuck wall 15will neither interfere with separation of the seamed can and chuck norwith snapping of the cover rib 23 past said mounds during applicationand removal of the cap 21.

In seamers requiring that the chuck 26 be rotated, said chuck will bedriven in the direction of the arrow 40 of Figure 7. In seamersrequiring that the chuck be nonrotatable, the seaming rolls will travelabout the chuck in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow 41. Ineither case, the curved end 35 of each recess inner wall 31 allows thedeformed metal to gradually move into the recess 30 under the influenceof the pressure-exerted by the seaming rolls.

In forming the seam 14 with the mounds 20, the usual sealing compound ordope is used and any minute gaps which may occur between adjacentthicknesses of metal in the regions of said mounds become completelyfilled by said compound or dope and the tightness of the seam will nottherefore bediminished.

In the present disclosure, the mounds 20 are formed for coaction withthe snap-on cap 21 of a spray can. However, it has been found thatdeformation of portions of the seam metal into the {chuck recesses willprevent I relative skidding of the chuck and can end during seaming.Therefore, the invention is also useable to advantage in the doubleseaming of .other forms of cans.

From the foregoing it will 'be seen that novel and advantageousprovision has been disclosed for attaining the desired ends. Attentionis invited, however, to the possibility .of making variation within thescope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a can structure, a round body having a side wall, a can endsecured -on the body by a fluid tight rolled seam including an inwardlyfacing upright chuck wall, said can end having an upwardly and inwardlyextending domed portion merging outwardly into the chuck wall through awell rounded radius so that said domed portion, radius and chuck walltogether provide an upwardly opening annular channel, and a round capremovably assembled on the can end and mounted over said domed portionand including a depending upright skirt having a tubular resilient ribat its lower extremity shaped .to conform to the well rounded radius atthe bottom of the channel and bottomed in said channel, a portion ofsaid rib extending outwardly of the skirt and a portion of said ribextending inwardly of said skirt so that the skirt extends upwardly fromthe rib intermediately of the radial cross section of the rib, and saidchuck wall having thereon a plurality of spaced inwarddeformations-confined to the region of the seam between said radius andthe upper extremity of the seam and dimensioned to slightly overlie therib bottomed in the channel, permitting ready snapping on and off of thecap.

2. Can structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the inward deformationsare three in number and project from the chuck wall approximately .010"and are horizontally arcuate in shape.

3. Can structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the inward deformationsare three in number and project from the chuck wall approximately .0100"and are horizontally arcuate in shape, and wherein the seam has dopetherein cooperating with the deformation of seam structure at thepositions of .the inward deformations in assuring against leakagethrough the seam at said po sitions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED .STATES PATENTS1,514,538 Kronkuest Nov, 4, 1924 1,948,953 -Wayer et a1 Feb. 27, 19342,616,717 Alessio Oct. 8, 1940 2,238,372 Price Apr. 15, 1941 2,283,462Wilsonet a1 May 26, 1942 2,344,986 Hothersall Mar. 28, 1944 2,383,274:Punte Aug. 21, 1945 2,467,392 -Kinberg Apr. 19, 1949 2,533,934 HenchertDec, 12, 1950 2,563,865 Pottle Aug. 14, 1951 2,643,627 Wobbe June 30,1953 2,739,751 Bailey Mar. 27, 1956 2,741,396 -Lobl Apr. 10, 19562,811,152 Wicks Oct. 29, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 11,781 Great Britain of1901

